


Together

by pipisafoat



Category: Rammstein
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-09-08
Updated: 2007-09-08
Packaged: 2017-11-19 07:17:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pipisafoat/pseuds/pipisafoat





	Together

I'd convinced Olli to come back to the set with me tonight so I could get used to the feel of it before the show tomorrow. He's the only one who understands my need to know the stage before performing.

I walk across, from my side to Richard's, back to where Flake will play, pausing at the drums to recount how many he's using now before continuing on to where Olli's favorite bass sits. It looks lonely, so I sit beside it for a minute, gently stroking its strings and feeling the worn neck. The bass always seems to have a life of its own to me. Again, Olli's the only one who understands that feeling, that something special always has its own experiences and knowledge just waiting for its favorite person to come back and share with it. I feel like his bass acknowledges a kindred spirit in me, always longing to have the tall man closer, to hear his few words.

After a few minutes enjoying the silence with the instrument, I rise and walk back towards where I will be playing tomorrow, letting my fingers trail off the fretboard as I go. I stand in front of my microphone, close my eyes, and try to get a feel for where I am in relation to where everyone else will be. I open my eyes, see Olli playing his GameBoy on the floor in front of the stage, and smile evilly.

"Sehnsucht!" I yell out suddenly, pretending to play, purely to watch the bassist jump and drop his game. Sure enough, he glares at me, knowing exactly why I did it, and picks up his game again, intent on ignoring me for a while as punishment.

I laugh, long and loud, loving the way it echoes through the empty concert hall. Little things like that always cheer me up, especially when Olli's the target. I look at him, entranced by the speed with which his thumbs move, for a few more minutes before returning my thoughts to tomorrow's show.

I close my eyes, turn my back on the middle of the stage, and begin to step backwards slowly and carefully, counting each time my foot hits the stage. When it feels right, I stop and check my position, but I haven't gotten where I need to be yet. I count off the rest of the steps, then go back and do it a few more times until I'm sure of how long it will take me to reach the middle.

That done, I lay down in the middle and just stare at the ceiling, feeling the atmosphere of the empty set. It seems almost melancholic, as though it's just waiting for the explosiveness of our music to bring it back to life. As I gaze up at nothing in particular, something eventually catches my eye. It's the small elevator thing Till uses to come down to the stage at the beginning, hanging just out of my reach. Dangling there above my head, it reminds me of the trees I climbed as a kid, trying to prove that the short one could do it, too.

I stand up, overcome with the urge to get on the silly thing and prove it once again. I reach up, but my original estimate was right - it's just beyond my grasp. I crouch down and leap up, barely managing to grab onto one of the bars at the bottom. I swing for a moment, building momentum before hauling myself up and clambering onto it. I stand there for a minute, proud of my accomplishment, and look down at Olli.

Part of me wants to call out to him, to show him what I've done, but another part of me wonders how long it will take him to notice. I decide to wait and see, sitting down and leaning against the side of the platform to watch the younger man gaming.

The next thing I know, something has a hold of my ankle. I shriek in a manner quite unbecoming to a man of my age and somehow manage to roll right off the small platform and onto Olli. I grab at his biceps as he lands on his ass, hiding my face in his shoulder as I try not to hyperventilate in my shock. He wraps an arm around me, steadying my shaking body, and rubs my back soothingly.

"Shit, Paul," he murmurs. "I didn't mean to scare you that badly." As I begin to catch my breath, I relax against him and enjoy the free backrub. He laughs against the side of my head as I nuzzle into his neck. "Maybe not that scared after all?" he asks softly.

"Stop talking," I demand, lips grazing the side of his neck. He follows orders immediately, breath catching. Unfortunately, he stops the backrub as well.

I pull back and look at him. His eyes are closed, mouth slightly open; one hand is behind him supporting our weight in this reclined position with the other gently around my waist. As I continue to watch him, he slits his eyes and suddenly leans up to me, lips connecting with mine.

This move does nothing short of shock me, and he pulls away quickly at my lack of response. "Sorry," he mumbles, looking anywhere but at me as he takes his arm from around me. "I'll just..." He trails off into an uncomfortable silence.

"No, no, you just... surprised me, is all," I tell him, and the silence somehow gets more uncomfortable. "It's not a bad thing," I try.

He nods, still looking away, and I realize he thinks I'm talking about my fall. There's only one way to be sure he understands my real meaning.

I lean forward slowly and lick his lips. He starts under me, successfully bumping our foreheads together. "Paul, what..."

"Shh. This. This isn't a bad thing."

He's quiet for a minute, thinking while I kiss his cheek and rub his shoulder. "So..."

 _Now what am I supposed to say?_ I wonder. "Um ... D'you want to go back?"

He nods. "Together?"

"I'm sure not paying for two separate cabs," I joke, then realize that he really isn't sure. "Yes, together."

He smiles finally. "Together. You and me."

I grin at him and climb off his lap, holding out a hand to pull him to his feet. He grabs it, stands up, and doesn't let go. "Yeah. Together," I say.


End file.
